SKY. GEOLOGY. RED SANDSTONE. 



the strata being broken into prismatic fragments by joints 

 similar to those of the schistose rocks, which they also 

 resemble in their, laminar divisions. The dip of these 

 beds is south-easterly, at an angle varying from thirty- 

 five to forty-five degrees, and they are followed in regular 

 order by the beds of red sandstone of the neighbouring 

 shore, which intervene between them and the high ridge 

 above described. Near Ord, the same rock occurs in 

 different places and in actual contact with the red sand- 

 stone, but dipping to the west; the whole series, after 

 much confusion, having here at length assumed that 

 westerly dip which is never again altered, but continues 

 to its termination in the calcareous rocks that follow. 

 The principal confusion takes place to the northward of 

 a portion of limestone hereafter to be described, but is 

 not peculiar to the quartz rock, or the sandstone, since the 

 limestone also undergoes the same change to a more 

 northerly direction with a vertical but vacillating position. 

 The predominant character of this substance is nearly 

 that of common quartz, with a fracture approaching to 

 the granular-splintery. Owing to its compactness the 

 surface is often covered with that polished enamel which 

 occurs so often on the pure quartz rock found alternating 

 with micaceous schist, and of which examples may be 

 seen at Balahulish and in many other places. Occa- 

 sionally it is less pure both in colour and composition, 

 but these varieties are of little importance. Near the 

 limestone at Ord it becomes red, blueish, and grey, and, 

 what is more remarkable, is often mottled with red and 

 white in round spots, discovering on fracture a globular 

 structure indicated by those colours. In all these respects 

 it resembles the well known varieties of common red 

 sandstone, from which it is only distinguished by its 

 perfect crystalline compactness. 



To the account of this transverse portion of the series 

 it may be added that on the opposite side of Loch Eishort 



